Thanks, tib, it'll be good to see what they say...

Annie, I love my RL sheets but have you tried Boll & Branch? If I didn't love my sheets so much I would try these. You can try them for 30 days and return them if you don't like them. Shipping is free and they are made with organic cotton and they look heavenly. Website is bollandbranch.com.

justerrilynn, I did a quick look at our Costco recently and iirc all their sheets were sateen. I think one was the 500 you mentioned and there was also a higher thread count of which I don't remember the number. These are the sheets I mentioned upthread that I was enamored with recently at a B & B. I think I need these sheets in my life.

Of course I'm very tongue in cheek about thread count. The sheets I bought say they are 500, but I just look at the fabric with my naked eye and I can start counting the threads...no way there are 500 per inch. They lie.

When Good Housekeeping analyzed sample sheets, it found manufacturers exaggerating their thread count by three to five times. They found one sheet that was labeled as having a 1,500 thread count, but it actually only had 300 threads per square inch.

My understanding is that thread count isn't important but that getting "long staple" cotton is the key.

Haven't heard from my clients yet. Sure I will.

Our church quilting group was gifted with some linensource sheets. They were nice!

Annie and Good Housekeeping are right about the thread count nonsense...I have heard people wax poetic about thread counts.....most of that is pure fabrication, lol (pun intended!).

Did Annie say if she actually asked the riverboat company where they get their sheets? If not, can you try that, Annie?

Read soaking them in salt water overnight before washing will soften new sheets. Has anyone tried that? Does it work?

Yes, tib, I sent Tauck an email but haven't heard back....

Well, I finally heard from them this morning. Unfortunately, he doesn't know where they got the sheets or the brand. He just said that, "In many cases, they have gotten a premium top sheet and pillow cases for monogramming" and then a high thread-count Wamsutta bottom sheet at Bed, Bath & Beyond. But it was the top sheet I was thinking of because it really fits your description of what you're looking for. I had actually looked for a tag with the brand on them last time I was at their vacation home, just because I thought the sheets were SO nice (this was before you asked!) and I couldn't find anything. Very sorry.

I'd keep pushing Tauck for an answer.

this is the phone # for Tauck's corporate offices in Ct.

Tauck Main Office:
203-899-6500

Well I slept on the new sheets last night... they were nice, better than my old sheets, they had nice body to them, but they weren't as smooth as on the riverboat...

If you call, keep in mind that customer service is really lousy these days, as a rule. PUSH. Tell them you want to speak to the procurement department, whomever orders linens for them, even if it's a subcontractor. Or even ask them to speak to a purser on the boat itself and can they just go and look at a tag on the dang sheets. People should WANT to help each other out, esp. with such simple requests. So much run-around nowadays.

Well, I try not to anticipate trouble and approach with an open heart and mind...

I did get a very nice email from Tauck and they are checking with Scylla (the riverboat owners) for me.

Great!

I thought I would do a review here on my Veratex 1200tc Egyptian cotton sateen sheets that I just bought. As stated above I normally get the 800 tc and sateen as they do not feel like sateen but do not dry as wrinkly if you use the low setting (I don't do sheet ironing). Do you remember Ralph Lauren's men's heavy white cotton shirts of yesteryear? The kind that was oh so delicious on men paired with nice jeans? Well, this is them only in a sheet. I'm pretty sure these sheets will last a life time because they are heavy duty. I have to say though (may change my mind after a few more sleeping tests) that I think my perfect sheets/pillow cases would be the Veratex 1200tc pillow cases and fitted sheet and the Veratex 800tc top sheet. For some reason my Vertex 800 falls more into the soft/crispish catagory that I prefer for the top. If I lived in a cold climate the whole 1200tc would be good.

terrilynn - "oh so delicious". I love that! Isn't that how we want our bed to feel? Thanks for the review.

I just heard back from Tauck and apparently Scylla has the bedding made for them. They would be happy to order some for me, but I suspect, as with most hotels, they don't do fitted sheets. For now I will continue my quest, but at least I know I have that as an option.

I just discovered a new sheet website, perfectlinens.com . It's only sheets and they describe the feel of them very well and discuss what happens after you wash them, which I've never seen before. This looks very interesting.

Tina, yes I love the "oh so delicious " for my head on the pillow case and the feel of the fitted sheet to lay on. I am now certain that the top sheet is too warm for me though in the 1200tc and will order an 800tc for the top sheet. The trick will be finding a place I can just order the top. Hope I can find some options where I can maybe get a little detail like embroidered or something along the top edge.

Annie, I have just found some sheets in a small Wyoming hotel we are in that I love! I immediately looked inside the pillowcase and was surprised that they are by Cuddledown, 100% organic cotton. They are white, hem stitched, and I am quite sure the hotel irons them (the only down-side from my point of view as we don't iron ours) but they feel so soft, yet have a nice crisp feel as well. That probably doesn't make sense but I am going to look for these when I am back home and ready to order. The bottom sheet is fitted.

Btw, I didn't mean to imply I couldn't find percale sheets. I just don't find many I like. Current ones are PB and I have liked them but they are getting thinner and softer and I'd like to get a new set. I bought a couple of sets for the lake from Target 4-5 years ago and have actually been pleased with those. But they don't get weekly use like the ones we use at home.

I was just in Home Goods and saw percale sheets by DKNY.

I'll have to head to the Duxiana store as they're supposed to carry the St. Geneve. It's a ways for me to go though so it'll probably be awhile before I get there.

"they don't do fitted sheets."

Good! As I've noted here a few times, Annie, I stopped using fitted sheets last summer, and oh, what a difference! So much better. I would suggest asking Tauck to get the measurements of the sheets for your bed size and make sure they are large enough to tuck in on all four sides. Tuck in the top and one side, then the bottom and the other side, pull very tight and tuck in. NO creasing or bunching up, which is a problem with fitted sheets, esp. now due to the difference mattress depths. The comfort of sleeping on a very tight-fitted bottom sheet makes all the difference.

I will never go back to fitted sheets.

Notice fitted sheets now all say, "Fits mattresses 12 - 18" deep", that sort of thing. That should make alarms go off in people's heads.

I say go for your Scylia sheets you love, and keep in mind that one of the reasons they were probably so comfortable is because Tauck uses flat sheets as bottom sheets!

Well I bit the bullet and spent more than I ever though I'd spend for a set of sheets...I bought the Sferra Grand Hotel sheets which are 100% long staple Egyptian cotton. Hopefully I'll be happy. I have to wait as they are only ordered, but when I get them, I'll let you know.

@Annie - I have some of those pillowcases. Don't think you will be disappointed. They are lovely and last for years. My Sferras are all 8-10 years old. Only 1 set needs a small repair which is just a restitching. They were washed initially in apartment house machines which ruined the Frettes but not these.

Do have a new set of sateen with leaf embroidery borders just washed today and put on the bed. The feel of these is amazing. They are light and feel like silk. Can't wait to try them tonight.

Update: These are lovely sheets and the bar is set very high for me with Sferra. They don't have the mitered corners and the side panel but the quality is excellent. Very happy with these.

Good news and bad news. I got my new sheets today, but the flat was an extra large and it had a stain on it. Considering how much I'm paying for these things, nothing short of perfection is acceptable. So back went the flat sheet.

Annie - that's so disappointing. I keep checking this thread to see if you've reported on your new sheets. And since Rococo posted about the warehouse sale I've been hoping for an email so that I can join the madness of 'women on a mission' and pick up a few sets there.

I think they should offer you a partial refund for your trouble - and for discovering a stain on your sheets. That's kind of icky.

Maire

Well, it wasn't an icky stain...I've worked with fabric enough to recognize it...it's a grease stain from a machine during the mfg. process. I am unhappy that on top of all I'm spending, I have to pay return shipping too

Annie, did you buy from Sferra through their website? The least the seller should do is email you a prepaid return label. It's a defect, not a change of mind.

No I bought them through Duxiana. I live 45 min away and so they shipped them from the store to me when the order arrived. I wanted to go there to feel the sheets before I ordered them and to see what other brands they carried.

Tib and others who may use unfitted sheets on the bottom:

Do they stay tucked in? Any extra work making the bed in the morning? After you sleep on them one night, fitted sheets are no longer tight, crisp and fitted, so I would consider trying all flat. I should experiment with an extra flat sheet I already have.

Here's an interview with the president of a sheet company who has been in the business for 30 years and finally explained what's most important to look for and how to judge quality. I'm linking it here for informational purposes. I do believe it sheds light on some of the basic questions that come up over and over.

Every time threads about sheets come up I feel sad. No sheets compares to the old Wamsutta 100% percale cotton for people that like smooth but crisp sheets. I wish they would come back.

@eandhl - You are so right! But they can never come back. Those textile mills shut down years ago. There is one textile mill in the U.S. operating in Georgia and it's Pakistani owned. There are no textile manufacturer associations to give US consumer info any longer. Only cotton growers associations in the US as we still grow cotton here (Texas & California mainly). All the sheets we buy are woven overseas.

I don't have any of those sheets left (someone on here does if I recall but can't remember who) but I have Wamsutta towels from the late 70s and early 80s that were put away. They are worn but still so soft after washing. I had to pull them out of storage and use them recently when I was waiting for new towels. The newer towels require softener no matter what you do. The Wamsuttas don't. Different cotton quality for sure.

Rico I have one top sheet & 2 pillow cases left. I loved the sheets!

Finally got the sheets after much ado and washed them. Well I can't complain...I wanted old fashioned sheets and I got them...after I took them out of the dryer I spent over 30 min ironing the darn things. If I didn't I was never going to be able to sleep on them they were so rumpled. Now I know why I remember my MIL and my grandmother spending so much time in the afternoons ironing...it was all the sheets! I was remembering her little sprinkle top bottle she used to use to help dampen the cotton to get the wrinkles out. I took a linen towel which I got wet and was dabbing it on the sheets where the wrinkles were really bad. Not that they look professionally pressed or anything, but at least I'll be able to sleep on them without all the wrinkle imprints on my skin.

I have a feeling after all of this that I'll be much happier with my no iron supima percales from Macy's at 1/6th the price....

This weekend I'll change sheets and put these on to give them the sleep test.

I re-read the posts to find out which sheets you ordered - the Sferra Grand Hotel - long staple Egyptian cotton percale. It will be interesting to see what you think of them when they're actually on the bed. I hope they offer you a wonderfully restful sleep and still look great on the bed in the morning.

As for ironing - that's the last thing I want to do. I also recall the little sprinkle top bottle. One of my chores as a kid was ironing pillowcases and handkerchiefs. My Mother never ironed sheets though, she hung them on a clothesline in the basement to dry. I wonder if that helped reduce the wrinkles.

Yes, ours were hung on the line too, so I think that helped. I'll need to get a clothes line

Or a grandma who likes to iron.

Funny that you said upthread that you would not iron!

I didn't want to iron, but I had to...they were a completely rumpled mess. Good thing I'm retired...if I weren't, I'd never have the time to do it. I remember my grandma used to set up the ironing board in front of the tv to watch her "stories" every afternoon.

They also only had the extra large flat sheet, so once I make the bed, I may have to alter the sheet if it's too large...going to be tricky as the stitching at the top hem turns the corner and comes part way down the side.

All I can say is, I rarely splurge on an expense like this one, and now that I have, the experience leaves a lot to be desired. Between taking weeks to get the right set in, the price, the time ironing, the time to alter and the maintenance, plus the fact that I'm actually unconscious for most of the time I'm actually using the product, this whole experience has led me to think I'm nuts. Right up there with the guys on Oak Island.

All the flat sheets at that level are larger than usual. I just tuck the bottoms and sides in up to the mitered turn back, which I let hang down.

I've found that using LeBlanc linen wash conditions my sheets. With that you might get away with just smoothing them flat and folding them out of the dryer.

Seems a shame you're not enjoying them. They do get better over time.

Well I'm not enjoying them so far. I'm wondering if I just should've bought them from the riverboat co. and been done with it....then I would've gotten just what I was looking for...

Final word on the Sferra bedsheets. They are ok. They are a pain in the neck as they need special handling. DH strung up a clothes line for me so I could air dry them in the hope of getting the wrinkles out enough to not need to iron them. I had to alter the flat sheet as it was way too large. I cut 13" off of one side, but in doing so, I lost the embroidered border that ran down that side. Fortunately, my bed is positioned so it is one sided.

On top of it, while they have a crispness and a solidity to them, they are not the "soft" I was looking for.

While the Macy's supima cotton percale sheets are a shade less nice than the Sferra, considering they need no ironing and were 1/6th the cost, I think they were a far better buy than the Sferra.

If I continue on my quest right away, DH will have a meltdown, so I think I have to let it sit for awhile and then, when I get a chance, I'll get back to it.

I have found the fabric I'm looking for, but don't know how to get it. Some down comforters I have seen have the exact softness I'm looking for. Not sure how to find that fabric in a sheet though....it's not the duvet covers, but the fabric covering the duvet itself....soft, white, scrupmtious, but not sateen.

It's crazy how tricky and time consuming shopping for home goods are today. Above I mentioned how I like my new Vertex 1200tc sheets but decided to get an 800tc top sheet exactly like I already have in that brand as the 1200tc one is too heavy. I got the new top sheet and it is very whimpy compared to the ones I have from a few short years ago.

It is crazy...the amount of misinformation, the outright lies and the wide variation in price and quality makes it ridiculously difficult to get what you want when it comes to linens. Go figure.

Annie - you have verbalized exactly what I've been searching for: sheets with the feel of the down duvet shell. If I could sleep wrapped up in sheets of that fabric, I'd be in heaven. The closest thing I've been able to find so far, but still not all the way there, are the Restoration Hardware Ultra File Lightweight Cotton sheets. If you're interested, you can order a fabric swatch off the website and give them a feel - the swatch and shipping are free.

one word: Pratesi

Such a shame that Sferra sheets didn't please! I have about a dozen sets of Sferra and even after 10+ years they are holding up perfectly. I've mended a seam on one flat sheet in all that time. I did buy the majority of the sheets at warehouse sales and on ebay where they can be well priced as people who live near the warehouse often go to the sale and resell. But, of course, as I mentioned upthread, these are 100% cotton sheets that need ironing. It's a misfit if someone doesn't want to iron them but expects to like them. That's likely true of many high end sheets which are usually oversized and often have the lovely mitered corner and border some of the Sferras have. I don't use a spread so the border and corner are finishing details for me.

The other sheets I would recommend are a set amusingly called Second Skin, which I got from perfectlinens.com. They are sateen, very soft and have a beautiful embroidered detail. They launder beautifully and, while I do have them ironed, they could be hand smoothed out of the dryer especially if the Le Blanc linen wash is used as it's an amazing conditioner that seems to keep out wrinkles better than anything else I've tried.

Over on the laundry forum there is much enthusiasm also for Target's Threshhold Performance sheets, which are sateen and evidently don't require ironing. Haven't tried them and likely won't. I can't buy any more sheets or shoes or I'll need to go to retail rehab.